Delhi Dynamos, Chennaiyin FC still in search of first win

Dynamos, which has lost one and drawn two matches, hosts defending champion Chennaiyin FC at the Nehru stadium on Tuesday. Chennaiyin has lost all three of its matches so far.

Anirudh Thapa of Chennaiyin FC during a practice session on the eve of the match against Delhi Dynamos FC.

There are hard times for Chennaiyin FC. Having lost all its three matches, the defending champion has a task at hand when it meets Delhi Dynamos in the Indian Super League at Delhi's Nehru Stadium on Tuesday.

Dynamos hasn't enjoyed a great start either. It has lost one and drawn two matches but should look to exploit home advantage. As coach Josep Gombau observed, “It’s a very important game for us. We’ve played three games in nine days. The team is progressing well and we are playing against a good team. Important thing is we are playing good football.”

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Dynamos, however, has not played good football consistently. There have been issues in the defence and the forwards too have fumbled inside the box. Even if the defence has looked better than last season, the strikers have struggled to finish after creating chances. Even though goalkeeper Francisco Dorronsoro has come up with some outstanding saves, the side has failed to plug the loopholes when tackling counter attacks.

Gombau refused to blame individuals. “We are a team and don’t differentiate. When we win we win together. When we lose we lose together. It is a team game,” he emphasised.

For Chennaiyin coach John Gregory, there was no reason to panic. “The boys have been good and fit. We are expecting a tough game but the confidence is very high.

"You can always look for a reason to why we have not started well. Make your own assessments but the boys have put incredible efforts. We certainly don’t have any problems with the way they have approached every game. It’s just that we made a couple of big defensive mistakes which we rarely made last season. We need to string two or three victories to target the playoffs.”

Gregory heaped praise on Thoi Singh, who scored two of the three goals in the 3-4 defeat against NorthEast United after leading 3-1. “Thoi plays with his heart. He has a fantastic pair of lungs and gives it everything. I wouldn’t want to play against him. He has got loads and loads of energy.”

The home side would have an inspired opposition to tackle even as Chennaiyin would worry about not losing the contest due to defensive lapses.

Kick off is at 7.30 p.m.